Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'worse than fossil fuels'

The UK's "irrational" usage of biofuels will cost vehicle drivers around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank states.

A report by Chatham House, external states the growing dependence on sustainable liquid fuels will also increase food prices.

The author states that biodiesel made from veggie oil was even worse for the climate than fossil fuels.

Under EU law, external, biofuels are set to comprise 5% of the UK's transportation fuel from today.

Since 2008, the UK has actually needed fuel suppliers to add a growing percentage of sustainable products into the petrol and diesel they provide. These biofuels are primarily ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, utilized cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

But research study performed for Chatham House states that reaching the 5% level suggests that UK drivers will have to pay an extra ₤ 460m a year due to the fact that of the greater expense of fuel at the pump and from filling up more frequently as biofuels have a lower energy material.

The report state that if the UK is to meet its responsibilities to EU energy targets the cost to drivers is likely to rise to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.

"It is tough to find any excellent news," Rob Bailey, senior research study fellow at Chatham House, told BBC News.

"Biofuels increase expenses and they are an extremely expensive way to minimize carbon emissions," he stated.

The EU biofuel mandates are also having extremely distorting effects in the marketplace. Because utilized cooking oil is considered among the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the cost for it has increased quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards completion of 2012 it was more pricey than refined palm oil.

"It produces a financial reward to buy refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into utilized cooking oil and then offer it at revenue,"

"It is crazy but the incentives exist."

There are likewise frets that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is producing more climate issues than it fixes. The more fuel of this type that is put into cars and trucks the larger the deficit produced in the edible oils market. This had actually caused increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, typically produced on deforested land.

"Once you take into account these indirect impacts, biofuels made from veggie oils really result worldwide in more emissions than you would receive from utilizing diesel in the first place," stated Rob Bailey.

"Plus you are asking motorists to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is a completely illogical method."

Biofuel advantages

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external throughout the EU, said it understood the issues triggered by the required. But it thinks that biofuels have many positives.

"Blaming biofuels for all the difficulties worldwide is a bit too exaggerated," stated Isabelle Maurizi, project supervisor at the EBB.

"It has actually brought great deals of benefits. It has actually improved the security of our diesel